Watchful of speech, well restrained in mind, let him do nought unskilful through his body. Let him purify these three ways of action and win the path realised by the sages. Magga Vagga - The Dhamma Pada

On understanding consciousness

Kingsley HEENDENIYA

This essay should be read with the previous one on understanding matter [rupa].

Understanding consciousness [vinnana] is now a priority pursued at high scientific and intellectual levels. I read a book titled 'CONSCIOUSNESS' written by a blind Australian academic but in the extensive bibliography there was no mention of the Buddha. This was also the case in the first and only book published titled 'GREED' by an American professor of anthropology.

No one, for more than 2500 years, has spoken with penetrative understanding and insight of both these subjects than the Buddha. They are related. To the ordinary uninstructed man [puthujjana], consciousness may be likened to the radiance of the flame of an oil lamp.

The radiance lasts till the flame lasts. The flame lasts till wick and oil lasts. Radiance is dependent on the flame. The flame is dependent on wick and oil. Radiance, flame, wick and oil can be regarded as sankhara or determinations. They determine the determined.

The puthujjana, fascinated by the radiance keeps wick and oil replenished, from greed. Determinations in him do not cease [nirodha]. There is continued re-becoming [punnabbhava] or renewed existence.

According to the teaching of the Buddha, the purpose of existence is to seize the opportunity from hearing the Dhamma to put an end to re-becoming.

In last four words, he said: 'It is the nature of determinations to cease [vyadhamma sankhara].' If determinations do not cease there would have been no point in teaching.

The aim is to achieve sankhara-nirodha through understanding the nature of determinations, in this very life, in this existence. But only few succeed.

Arising of consciousness Whether the Buddha teaches on 'matter' or 'consciousness' or anything, he teaches only one related thing: the arising and ceasing of dukkha. The body and mind is a mass of dukkha. In his analysis and logic he focuses on this central theme and does not push further than is relevant to understand the rise and fall of determinations.

Consciousness is the determination that determines the arising and ceasing of dukkha. The structural principle of dependent arising and ceasing or conditioned genesis [paticcasamuppada] is the matrix of the teaching. Dependent arising and vinnana are one [sankharapaccaya vinnanam].

The forward direction [anuloma] describes the arising of dukkha. The reverse [patiloma] is the ceasing of dukkha. Describing an exemplification of the structural fundamental principle beginning with vinnana, he says, 'Consciousness does not go further. It turns back on itself.'

'With consciousness as condition [determination], name-&-matter [nama-rupa]', so it was said: how it is, Ananda, that with consciousness as condition there is name-&-matter should be seen in this manner.

If, Ananda, consciousness were not to descend into the mother's womb, would name-&-matter be consolidated in the mother's womb? No, indeed, lord.

If, Ananda, having descended into the mother's womb, consciousness were to turn aside, would name-&-matter be delivered into this situation? No, indeed, lord.

If, Ananda, consciousness were cut off from one still young, from a boy or girl, would name-&-matter come to increase, growth and fullness? No, indeed, lord.

Therefore, Ananda, just this is the reason, this is the occasion, this is the arising, this is the condition of name-&-matter, that is to say consciousness. 'With name-&-matter as condition consciousness', so it was said: how it is, Ananda, that with name-&-matter as condition there is consciousness should be seen in this manner.

If, Ananda, consciousness were not to obtain a stay in name-&-matter, would future arising and coming-into-being of birth, aging, death and dukkha be manifest? No, indeed, lord. Therefore, Ananda, just this is the reason, this is the occasion, this is the arising, this is the condition of consciousness, that is to say, name-&-matter.

Thus far, Ananda, may one be born or age or die or fall or arise, thus far there is a way of designation, thus far there is a way of language, thus far there is a sphere of understanding, thus far the round proceeds as manifestation in a situation, - so far, that is to say, as there is name-&-matter together with consciousness.' [Digha 11,2].

Body and mind The Buddha describes the body [and mind] as name-&-matter and consciousness [namarupa saha vinnana]. Nama-rupa is widely misunderstood as mind and matter, and further, that it includes consciousness. Name-& matter entails or requires consciousness but does not include it.

The Buddha says: feeling, perceptions and consciousness are conjoined. When there is one, the other two are present. 'And just like feelings and perceptions [vedana & sanna], consciousness arises and ceases differently through night and day just as a monkey ranging through a forest seizes a branch, and letting it go, seizes another.' [Samyutta 12:16].

This description nails the wrong view that consciousness is a flux. Consciousness, like change of matter, is discontinuous.

There is arising, ceasing and change while standing [thitassa annathattam]. The concept 'stream of consciousness' [bhavangasota] is an invention in Abhidhamma.

The Buddha reprimands the monk Sati, son of a fisherman, for saying that it is the same consciousness that continues in the round of re-becoming.

"What is that consciousness, Sati?" "Venerable sir, it is that which speaks, feels and experiences here and there [in this birth and the next] the result of good and bad actions."

"Misguided man, to whom have you ever known me to teach the Dhamma in that way? Misguided man, in many discourses have I not stated consciousness to be dependently arisen, since without a condition there is no origination of consciousness?" [Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta, Majjhima 38.]

Like any determination, it does not arise ex nihilo. But, like curd from milk, butter from curd, ghee from curd, it is neither the same nor another through the endless becoming and re-becoming.

The 'self' and consciousness is one. It does not merge with another. It is the repository and vehicle of transmission of unique feelings, perceptions and intentions [kamma] - and their results [vipaka].

Kinds of consciousness 'Consciousness is called after the conditions due to which it arises. When it arises due to eye and visible forms, it is called eye-consciousness. Due to ear and sounds, ear-consciousness...due to mind and ideas, mind-consciousness.' [Mahavedalla Sutta, Majjhima 43, by Sariputta.] 'Any consciousness whatever, whether past, future or present, in oneself or external [bases for contact], coarse or fine, inferior or superior, far or near, that is affected by taints [greed, hate, nescience] and provocative of holding [upadana], that is called the consciousness aggregate of holding.' [Samyutta 22:48.] 'What does that consciousness cognize? It cognizes, for example, this is pleasant, this is unpleasant, this is neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant.' [Mahavedalla Sutta.]

Concentration [samadhi] Consciousness is mere presence. In reflexion - a deliberate pulling back of attention - there are different degrees of presence. A distinction must be made between immediate and reflexive. In immediate presence: 'a pain is', or 'consciousness of a pain'.

In reflexive presence: 'There is an existing pain' or 'there is consciousness of a pain.' Reflexion is a re-duplication of presence. The object or idea is present twice. This is mindfulness and awareness [satisampajanna.]

The 'presence' of a phenomenon is nama and rupa. To be conscious of something is no empty having it in consciousness. All consciousness is intentional. What is cognized is namarupa. What is felt or perceived is nama.

The objective of meditation, to attain samadhi or concentration or one-pointed-ness, is to cut out nama from the rupa body. What is then present is merely the phenomenon, object or idea without it provoking emotion or thinking.

The aim in samadhi meditation is to stop discursive thinking [takka-vitakka] and zero in on the presence of the object or idea in consciousness - and develop sammasamadhi of the path [See Uddesavibhanga Sutta, Majjhima 138.]

That is, just as the mahabhuta, consciousness is actually elemental, pure, cleansed of the defilements greed, hate, nescience; and freed from holding [upadana] to the five aggregates provocative of holding. The 'individual' is thus freed from the nama-body [feelings, perceptions, intentions, contact, attention].

Objects are present in consciousness but the arahat does not identify with them - na ca tena tammayo. There is no apparent self for whom there is consciousness. 'That consciousness by which the Tathagata might be manifested has been eliminated by the Tathagata, cut off at the root, dug up, made non-existent, it is incapable of future arising.

The Tathagata, great king, is free from reckoning as consciousness...' [Avyakata Samyutta]. That is to say, there is no one here. Phenomena empty of self just roll on. The arahat cannot be said to be born or die. There is extinction of consciousness [nibbana]. Determinations have ceased. It is the end of dukkha.

socratus

Post subject: Quantum Theory of Consciousness.

Posted: Sun Jul 23, 2006 1:15 pm

Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:07 pmPosts: 12Location: Israel

Two views of the consciousness.

1.Consciousness is real but nonphyslcal.
2.Consciousness is connected to physical reality .
====================
1. Descartes confirmed: “ I think, therefore I am “
2.When Zen/Tibetan Buddhist monks, trained in meditation, begin
conscious awareness, the "I think not, therefore I am"
=======================
The man acts: 1) usually under logic program,
2) sometimes on intuition (unconsciousnessly).
===========================
Dualism.
============= ======= =============
Brain of a man approximately consists of sixteen milliards neurons.
All of them form the system that manages human body.
That is why, it is of no wonder, that with the work of all the
sixteen milliards neutrons of brain, a man cannot catch a single impulse of
Electron, Quantum of light, his God:
(mass of electron is equal 10^-31 kg., charge of electron is equal 10^-19 k.)
Quantum of light, Spiritual particle, which had created us, turned out to be under control
of the material existence. However, the spiritual particle aspires to establish its supremacy
over material nature. And the possibilities to reign over material nature are limited.
The expansion of the possibilities of the development of spiritual particle is connected
with the creation of specific (vacuum) conditions. These conditions are reached
as a result of constant religious practice.
To perceive the universe, to perceive the spiritual essence, it is necessary
for the man to take possession of religious practice.
PRACTICE. THE GENERAL PRINCIPLES.
We pray the GOD and we do not realize that HE is inside us.
Each of us carries in himself the SPIRITUAL PARTICLE
(QUANTUM OF LIGHT - AN ELECTRON).
But we do not realize that HE is inside us.
Behind the habitual forces of nature there is one force hidden - a spiritual one (h - e).
But ITS action is almost completely disguised with the other forces
(mechanical, electromagnetic, nuclear, chemical and others),
therefore it remains unnoticed in an ordinary processes.
But God never operates outside of natural principles.
There are the processes in which He reveals himself.
Therefore, His disclosing is a technical question.
How can we learn it?
For this purpose it is necessary to create the following effects in our computer-brain:
A). Nonlinear effect
B). Superconducting effect
C). Holographic effect
D). Vacuum effect.
Nobody, except us, can make this technical work.
Only we (by the constant, thin, internal practice) can create conditions for these effects.
This practice has called "a Religious practice".
In this lies an essence of Religion - to establish the communication of a Human being with his Divine origin.
* * *
Our computer-brain works on a dualistic basis.
In a usual daily life all we do is done logically, under an influence of our feelings.
On the other hand, in a religious practice we learn to perceive and to operate:
1) Without the participation of the sense organs.
2) Without the participation of the logic mental processes.
When these conditions will be created, then the opportunity to operate will be given
to a QUANTUM OF LIGHT (AN ELECTRON), to OUR DIVINE ESSENCE.
We will acquire new forces, new abilities.
Once again.
An electron's mass is 10^-28gr . The size is 10^-13sm. A charge is 10^-19k .
With these characteristics it is hard for IT to appear.
Therefore it is clear, why we don't know IT in our ordinary life.
ITS cognition is achieved by a very hard, thin and laborious work.
This work demands of a person to be devoted to it.
===========================
On the question:
What inhale the Life in formulas and equations ?
What must be present in a body to make it alive ?
The answer is:
Soul. Quantum of Light.
Because, from all particles, only and only the quantum of light is a privileged particle.
=========================
Best wishes.
Socratus
http://www.socratus.com